Fact / Some people with schizophrenia recover
completely from the illnessall their psychotic symptoms disappear
and they return to their previous level of functioning. Others continue
to have some symptoms but are able to lead satisfying and productive lives,
working and living independently in the community. About one-third of
people with schizophrenia do not recover significantly and may have to
be institutionalized.

Myth / Schizophrenia is contagious.

Fact / Fear of contagion results in people
avoiding those who have schizophrenia. Fear of contagion also lead to
the stigmatization of family members, mental health professionals, and
places of treatment.

Different outcomes for different people /
The misconception that people cannot recover from schizophrenia leads
to hopelessness and despair for individuals. It may also cause families
to neglect or abandon their ill relatives. But, the disorder takes many
different courses, with varying outcomes.
Wide variation occurs in the course of schizophrenia.
Some people have episodes of illness lasting weeks or months with full
remission of their symptoms between each episode; others have a fluctuating
course in which symptoms are continuous but rise and fall in intensity;
others have very little variation in the symptoms of their illness over
time. At one end of the spectrum, the person has a single episode of schizophrenia
followed by complete recovery; at the other end of the spectrum is a course
in which the illness never abates.